Royal Scandal, Hollywood Crime, Nail Salon Drama: Pajiba October 2025 Book Recommendations
What Books Are You Reading This Month?
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Books | November 3, 2025
Widespread Panic by James Ellroy
Are you wondering what everyone is reading lately? I’m currently immersed again in the works of James Ellroy. Yes, I’ve dived into another Ellroy book, which is no surprise to those following my 2025 literary journey. Ellroy has become my main obsession this year, and I have no plans to stop anytime soon. His crime fiction is too gripping, even if his personality is rather eccentric.
Widespread Panic stands out as notably short for Ellroy’s usual length—my edition has just 336 pages—but it is rich in detail. The story’s central character is Freddy Otash, a figure well-known from Ellroy’s Underworld USA series and a captivating presence in Hollywood lore. Otash, once an LAPD officer and private investigator, gained notoriety as a fixer and researcher for the tabloid magazine Confidential. If there was a mess to fix or create, Otash was your man.
One of his most infamous assignments was working for Peter Lawford to investigate Marilyn Monroe, spawning enduring conspiracy theories about her connection to JFK. Widespread Panic explores Otash’s sordid activities in early 1950s Hollywood, where he mingled with and often clashed against some of Tinseltown’s biggest names.
What makes this book unique among Ellroy’s works is its unexpected supernatural angle. Otash narrates from purgatory, delivering an unfiltered and candid monologue of his life and crimes to a higher power he hopes will show mercy.
“Otash is narrating this story from purgatory, offering a no-holds-barred monologue of his life and crimes to a hopefully forgiving higher force.”
Summary: James Ellroy’s Widespread Panic delivers a gritty, fast-paced dive into 1950s Hollywood through the eyes of notorious fixer Freddy Otash, blending crime history with a speculative afterlife perspective.